Two different paths
by The last Phantomdreamer
Summary: I got a collectors edition of ME1 and read in the codex included about Biotics, and this story came to my mind. As Kaidan and Shepard both have Biotics (Well my Shep does) and Kaidan is older than Shepard I wondered about what the difference in their training would be. So here it is. (I had to follow what Kaidan talked about in the first game.)


Two different paths

Jump Zero also known as Gagarin Station, was humanities furthest man-made structure in space, long before the Mass relays were found. In 2160 its use was changed by Conatix, who turned it in to the location for Biotic Acclimation and Temperance training. They taught humans who had been exposed to Element Zero in utero, to control their powers and, developed the L2 biotic implant.

At twelve years old Kaidan Alenko had discovered he had some sort of powers, and when some people took him away he had figured out that it was biotics. They took him to BAaT; he had noted other children about the same age as him were all stood in the receiving bay of Jump Zero; the scientists were talking amongst themselves. They eyed over the children with a weird look of determination and evil scheming on their faces. It puzzled him as he was used to seeing adults that looked happy, he liked Vancouver and the secret hideout in his parent's garden. He saw a girl who seemed to be assessing the situation she was found him, like most humans she had a unspecific ethnic origin, she had soft brown eyes and long black hair.

The scientists had poked and prodded Kaidan with various instruments, and they made notes and sighed between them.

"He's a good candidate for an L2 amp." One said

"The others are all good." The other replied.

The first scientist was a thin looking man with odd green eyes and a completely inexpressive face; he was finding some more instruments. The other was a kindly looking woman, but she had a dead gaze explaining that she was only trying to make the impression she cared. He worried about what they were going to do to him; the woman advanced to him and instructed him to turn over on the table. Before he had entered the room, he and the other boys had all had their hair shave off and the girls had theirs cropped really short. They weren't told why that had happened, and Kaidan thought that these people wouldn't answer any questions he asked with anything other than sarcastic barbs. He followed the instruction carefully, and was rewarded by a sharp pain on his neck, where anaesthetic was shot in his skin.

On the MSV Columbia; Hannah Shepard and her daughter Catherine had just arrived after a transfer, it was the third ship they had been transferred to Hannah remembered, being a high on the Alliance chain of command, meant she had to stay on ships. Hannah had had her daughter in a medbay, and Catherine had known a home that was a ship, and she had barely seen anything other than the darkness of space. But she was a well-rounded girl, who enjoyed looking at the stars and they told stories of her having a ship and crew of her own. Hannah was Executive Officer after the old XO retired to a small colony, and they had been given the room and it had been set up with two beds with a divider so that Catherine could have her own space. She settled down on her bed and pulled out her Datapad and began to read.

Kaidan had woken up dressed in a plain suit of clothes and had a bandage over the back of his neck; he was in a room that had a series of beds that the others were all arranged on. He sat up carefully and tried to remember what had happened, all he knew that he was in a lot of pain. The next person, who came back around, was the girl he saw when he arrived. She also had a bandage around her neck, and looked a little shell shocked. She looked at Kaidan and smiled warmly, she unlike the adults had seemed genuine but he expected that the other children would be grateful that others were going through this with them. He then thought of his parents who were at home and wondered when he would see them again.

"Honey, what are you reading?" Hannah asked her daughter.

"A history book, I was given some homework on the last ship. Do you think they have a record of my work?" Catherine replied as she looked at her mother with her bright green eyes. Hannah had a clever daughter, who wanted to join the Alliance, she enjoyed learning about history. To understand where humans came from, to possibly figure out where they were going. She was only nine and she was acting like she was older, Hannah had also wondered about what the Eezo had done to her daughter, as they had been living on ships powered by it since before she was born. There were only three more years until they knew for sure, and Hannah didn't really want to send her only child to Jump Zero.

The L2 children had all introduced each other, and Kaidan had discovered that the girl was called Rahna, she was from a wealthy Turkish family, and just from talking to her she seemed to be a kind individual. The next morning they were introduced to their teacher, a Turian, Commander Vyrnnus a veteran from the First Contact War.

"I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father." He said as his way of an introduction.

"My father was even in that war." Kaidan muttered as a retort, The Turian had heard what he said and scowled.

"You, human boy." Vyrnnus said acidly "You think that you have biotics that you are some kind a superman. Pah you're a snivelling little brat."

A few years after that meeting the student had learned how to control their powers, and put them to use towards military service, Kaidan had learned how powerful he was. Vyrnnus had pushed all of them hard, and some of the children hadn't made it very far. Kaidan both hated and feared Vyrnnus, who over the course of the training had become cold and distant even more so than at the start, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rahna go for a glass of water with her hand. Vyrnnus had overreacted, he was teaching them to rely on their powers, and he had closed the gap between them and snatched up Rahna's arm. He applied enough force that it broke her arm as sick punishment, something inside Kaidan snapped. He walked over to Rahna's side.

"Leave her alone Vyrnnus!" He shouted

The Turian was filled with rage and being talked to in such a way by a human, it was then he turned that rage on Kaidan. He had punched Kaidan in the face and it knocked him off his feet, Kaidan retaliated by charging at Vyrnnus with his shoulder. The two fought, and Vyrnnus had brought a knife out from his boot and went for Kaidan, in his self-defence, Kaidan had thrown a massive collection of biotic energy. Causing Vyrnnus to fly across the room and smash into one of the desks, where he broke his neck and died. Rahna had looked up at him with fear in her delicate eyes and ran out of the room, holding her broken arm.

He had followed her to the medical bay, where a doctor had fixed her arm. She had the look of fear when she saw him.

"Stay away from me." She said, it was the last thing she had said to him before they had sent all the children back home to their families after shutting down the station. Kaidan had vowed to himself to never let any girl he loved to look at him like she had done, he then retreated into his shell, and the migraine's the implant caused him gave him a constant reminder of how much Vyrnnus had made him suffer.

Alliance news network had put up the story of Jump Zero and that it was closed down, they didn't mention exactly what happened, and that all biotic training was to be concentrated by Alliance military. Hannah knew her daughter was going to eventually need an implant as she was closely approaching her twelfth birthday, and the controversial L2 implants had been discontinued meaning that the newer L3's were being implanted. Catherine had started to show the signs of biotics, and Hannah had to get her daughter the implant soon. So she had booked them passage to Arcturus Station, it was in charge of training; Hannah was preparing herself to let her daughter go for training. She was even asking everyone to call her Carly, and she told her mother she wanted to join the alliance.

Carly had been given a warm smile by the man who was going to give her the biotic amp she was going to live with the rest of her life, He was nice and let Hannah stay and hold her daughters hand as she was put under sedation. She recovered in a nice hospital bed with her mother sat beside her reading reports of her new ship.

"Hey Honey are you okay?" Hannah asked her daughter.

"Yeah, what's going to happen now mom?" Carly asked

"Well they have a new biotic programme here and you are staying. I will come and visit all the time. I promise sweetheart." Hannah said.

In 2173, Kaidan had found his way back and enlisted in the Alliance Navy, he kept mostly to himself and did what he was told to and even got promoted to Lieutenant, and he was personally selected by Captain David Anderson to join the crew of the SSV Normandy in 2183.

After Elysium Carly Shepard was awarded the Star of Terra for her brave actions, and was accepted to the prestigious N7 programme.

"Hey Shepard, you are being assigned to the Normandy, and as the XO. Good luck Commander." Her roommate from Arcturus had said when she had said her final goodbyes

David Anderson waited beside the docking bay to the Normandy waiting for his newest recruits; the first to arrive was Kaidan. He had a small kit bag and wore a simple jump suit; he saluted to Anderson as Shepard arrived behind him. He saw her and smiled a little to himself, he had heard of Commander Shepard, but he never imagined she would be as beautiful.

"It's good to be working for you Anderson, sir." She said to Anderson

"Shepard, I've heard good things. This is Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko; he will be working with you too." Anderson said as he gestured to Kaidan.

Shepard smiled as she held out her hand; her finger nails showed signs of being bitten.

"Hello, nice to meet you Lieutenant, excuse the nails I was nervous." She said

He took he hand and shook it.

"Like wise Commander."


End file.
